Candidates split over appearing with Imus

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, April 12, 2007

Photo: Richard Drew

Image 1of/2

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 2

**FILE** Radio personality Don Imus appears on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show, in New York in this April 9, 2007, file photo. MSNBC announced Wednesday, April 11, 2007 that it will no longer simulcast Don Imus' radio program in the wake of public fallout resulting from his referring to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" on his morning show last week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) AN APRIL 9, 2007 FILE PHOTO less

**FILE** Radio personality Don Imus appears on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show, in New York in this April 9, 2007, file photo. MSNBC announced Wednesday, April 11, 2007 that it will no longer simulcast Don Imus' ... more

Photo: Richard Drew

Image 2 of 2

Female Rutgers University faculty members, including Kim D. Butler, wear red scarves during a rally on the Douglass College campus in New Brunswick, N.J., to protest comments radio talk show host Don Imus made about the Rutgers women's basketball team. (AP Photo/Mike Derer) less

Female Rutgers University faculty members, including Kim D. Butler, wear red scarves during a rally on the Douglass College campus in New Brunswick, N.J., to protest comments radio talk show host Don Imus made ... more

Photo: Mike Derer

Candidates split over appearing with Imus

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

As presidential candidates wrestled with the question of whether to appear on Don Imus' program, MSNBC dropped the controversial talk show host's cable TV show Wednesday, bowing to pressure from advertisers, the public and its own staff over his recent derogatory comments.

Imus was scheduled to begin serving a two-week suspension from his TV and radio shows Monday for calling women on the Rutgers University basketball team "nappy-headed hos." But a statement from NBC News Wednesday said it had decided to fire him after "many conversations with our own employees," including Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's "Countdown." CBS radio, which syndicates "Imus in the Morning" to 70 radio stations nationwide, still plans to return the show to the air on April 30.

Helping to sink "Imus in the Morning" on TV was that several of the cable show's major sponsors pulled their advertising in recent days, including Proctor & Gamble, American Express and Staples. Advertising Age reported Wednesday that of the $163.5 million in advertising revenue earned by MSNBC last year, Imus' show brought in $8.38 million, down from the $9.74 million in 2005.

The show's economic impact was not addressed in an e-mail sent to NBC employees Wednesday afternoon by President Jeff Zucker of NBC Universal, the network's parent company. Zucker said he and NBC News President Steve Capus decided to cancel "Imus in the Morning" after several days of "grappl(ing) with an incredibly difficult and sensitive issue."

"What matters to us most is that the men and women of NBC Universal have confidence in the values we have set for this company. This is the only decision that makes that possible," NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust said in a public statement. "Once again, we apologize to the women of the Rutgers basketball team and to our viewers. We deeply regret the pain this incident has caused."

Debate over Imus -- who has an weekly audience of 2.25 million radio listeners -- reached the White House, where a spokeswoman said earlier this week that President Bush believes Imus' comments were "inappropriate."

And presidential candidates were divided over whether to appear on Imus' show after his return, illustrating how powerful entertainment programs have become in helping to choose who occupies the White House.

"The X factor is: If you're a candidate who is polling 1 percent and you don't have any money, the campaign asks itself, 'What's the worst that could happen?' " said Scott Carter, executive producer of "Real Time with Bill Maher." The HBO program regularly features politicians whom comedian Maher leads through a minefield of serious discussion and humor.

"If you don't come off well, you blame it on the liberal host," Carter said. "If you do, you make some headlines and get some attention."

For presidential candidates, "Would you do Imus?" is becoming an early media litmus test. Nearly all the candidates have condemned Imus' remarks, but they are divided about whether appearing on his program enables demeaning language about women, African Americans and others.

Still, politicians know an appearance on entertainment programs like Imus' exposes them to audiences who don't ordinarily follow campaigns.

"Sure, people can go on the 'News Hour' on PBS, but they're not going to get the kind of audience that they'd get on his show," said Susan Scanlan, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations. The umbrella organization of 211 women's groups representing 11 million women called Wednesday for Imus to be fired.

By Wednesday, the presidential candidates had lined up in three camps on whether to appear on Imus' show: Forgive and Forget; Won't Go on the Show Anymore; and My Finger is Still Checking the Prevailing Political Winds.

While some longtime Imus pals like Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., former GOP Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of New York and former GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas said they'd appear on his show, New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton -- a frequent Imus target -- turned his controversial remarks into a campaign issue.

On the front of her campaign's home page was an invitation for visitors to send a message of "Respect for Rutgers" to the team that Imus mocked.

"Don Imus' comments about them were nothing more than small-minded bigotry and coarse sexism," the invitation read. "They showed a disregard for basic decency and were disrespectful and degrading to African Americans and women everywhere. Please join me in sending the young women of Rutgers a message of respect and support. Show them that we are proud to stand with them and for them."

A Clinton campaign spokeswoman said the senator would not appear on Imus' program if asked. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., also stated his intention not to appear on the program.

The campaigns of other presidential candidates -- including Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and former GOP Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts -- declined to respond to several requests for comment from The Chronicle about whether they would appear on the show. A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico said the governor couldn't be reached for comment.

Sens. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Joseph Biden, D-Del. -- both frequent Imus guests -- and former Democratic Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina condemned Imus' remarks but stopped short of saying they wouldn't appear on his program.

Edwards issued a statement: "If you tolerate this kind of language in your presence, you are essentially sowing the seeds of intolerance. And I think all of us have an obligation to speak out and condemn this kind of language when it's used, no matter who uses it."

But he didn't rule out on-air joust with the so-called I-Man. Said Edwards: "We need to see how this works out before I make a judgment on appearing as a guest again. But the language was absolutely wrong."

Dodd and Biden also declined to rule out chatting with Imus.

The hedging by the candidates over whether they will appear on Imus illustrates the value politicians and their campaign managers place on fitting into celebrity culture.

Bill Clinton's June 1992 appearance on Arsenio Hall's late-night show, in which the presidential candidate donned dark sunglasses and played the saxophone, established the current fashion for office seekers to court entertainment hosts.

This year Giuliani announced his candidacy to conservative talk show host Sean Hannity, and McCain made his presidential intentions known to late-night comedian David Letterman.

"It's a sad sign of politics today that candidates think that to try to be hip, they have to go on shows like Imus," said GOP strategist Patrick Dorinson. "It's a sad sign of how people are getting their information."

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.